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A61267
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A sermon preached at the Assizes at Hertford, March the 9th, 1682/3 by John Standish ...
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Standish, John, d. 1686.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing S5217; ESTC R13596
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14,535
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38
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which Lawless Miscreants we are here caution'd against in the Text for they are Invaders of their Superiours Rights disturbers of the publick Peace and sworn Enemies to Government Rom. 13.2 the Ordinance of God And therefore to shut up this first Stage From all their Seditious Principles Privy Conspiracies and open Rebellions against the Lords Anointed Good Lord deliver Him and Us Secondly Meddle not with them that are given to Change their God their Religion and Faith I mean that good old Way those beaten Paths visible all along to the Apostolical Age. What Rebells are in State Hereticks and Schismaticks are in the Church By Hereticks I mean such as stifly and obstinately maintain and propagate Errours about the Christian Faith soundly and generally held by the Catholick Church By Schismaticks such as scornfully separate from the received ancient Discipline and set up some new Model of their own 1. Then Meddle not with them that are given to change the primitive Faith We must have a special care of bartering away our precious Faith 2 St. Pet. 1.1 as St. Peter calls it either for the Traditions of men or Doctrines of Devills Rom. 16.17 I beseech you Brethren says St. Paul mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them And knowing that fair means will not always doe He hath elsewhere left a solemn Execration upon Record to affright us from Heretical Teachers saying Though We or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel Sal. 1.8 then that we have already Preached let him be Accursed His words are full of Emphasis it is not though I but though We that is though Peter and James and John and I and all the Apostles should combine together to forge a new Gospâ—l nay though an Angel from Heaven should be in the Plot let him also be Anathema And lest we should think He speaks unadvisedly as led by humane Passion more than by any Divine Warrant He repeats it over again in the very next verse As we said before so say I now again ver 9. if any man Preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be Accursed Whereupon Vinc. Lerinadu Haeres saies good Vincentius in a holy Zeal if any man presume to teach Novelties in the Faith contrary to the ancient sound Doctrine let that elect and chosen Vessel that profound Doctor of the Gentiles that Trumpet of the Apostles who whilst he preached on Earth was caught up into the third Heaven cry out in his writings still against him Let him be twice Accursed Let him be rejected and Excommunicated least the Infection of one Sheep and much more the Defection of one Shepherd endanger the whole Flock of Christ 1 Tim. 6.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same Apostle chargeth his Son Timothy O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy Trust avoiding profane and vain Novelties as St. Chrysostome and the vulgar read it which I can't let pass without Vincentius his excellent Paraphrase thereon Keep the Depositum that which is recommended to thy Charge and Trust Id. Ibid. not that which is of thine own Invention that which thou hast received not what thou hast devised a matter not of Wit but Doctrine not of private Usurpation but of publick Tradition thou receivedst Gold free from all mixtures of Brass or Lead Fraud or Feculency and therefore be sure to pay Gold And again O Timothy O Preacher O Priest Shew thy self if thou wilt and canst a cunning Bezaliel in the spiritual Tabernacle fall to work with the Precious Jewells of Divine Doctrine fit them faithfully adorn them wisely add splendor grace and beauty to them Let that be understood more clearly by thy Exposition which was before believed more obscurely But be sure it be the same of the Old stamp and no adulterate Doctrine His meaning is that such things only must be taught and held for matters of Faith both by Priest and People as have been always owned by the Catholick Church from the express Word of God for understanding the true sence whereof in case of Disputes we are to follow Antiquity Vniversality and Consent as he adds afterwards Now that our Church of England is hated by both her Extremes 2 Tim. 1.13 for holding fast this old Form of sound words in their primitive Purity that very Faith whereof our Saviour is the Author our Soveraign the Defender and not admitting their Novel Opinions into her Creed will appear by and by For it seems not unreasonable to satisfie one Enquiry first Quest Why God will suffer so many Heresies and Impostures in the world from time to time to prejudice and countermine his most holy Truth I answer in the words of Moses Deut 13.1 Answ 2. If there ariseth a Prophet or Dreamer of Dreams and giveth thee a sign and the signe come to pass and then he entice thee to go after other Gods thou shalt not hearken to that Dreamers words for the Lord your God proveth you whether ye love the Lord with all your heart and with all your Soul A very clear Account of the whole matter God suffers false Prophets to make true Predictions sometimes and then to entice his people to the Worship of Idols merely and on purpose to try their Constancy whether they will by any means or artifices be tempted from his service and change their God Now Heresie under the Gospel bears Analogie to Idolatry under the Law both imply a setting forth of strange Gods Act. 17.18 And therefore St. Paul gives much the same reason hereof with that of Moses saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be also Heresies among you 1 Cor. 11.19 that they which are approved may be made manifest There Must be Good and Evil Life and Death true and false Religions set before men else there would be no Choice no Vertue but all Necessity there being no such thing as Victory without Enemies no credit in vindicating truth were there no Errour in the World Therefore it is that God permits men oftimes of subtile heads rational learning eloquent speech pleasing converse and exemplary lives tâ— set up for Hereticks in their several ages as a Touchstone to prove his own Servants Faithfulness to shew whether they love or flatter Him whether they hold their Religion by chance or choice whether a well-contrived Fable learned Cheat or specious Imposture can perswade them out of their Christian Name that they which are approved may be made manifest For he onely is a true and Catholick Christian who preferres nothing before the Catholick Faith Vinc. Ler. Ib. Not any private man's Love nor his Wit nor his Eloquence nor his Philosophy nor his Authority no nor that Dagon of his Infallibility but despising all these is fixed and immoveable in that Faith he finds the Church Vniversal hath ever held and resolves to hold and live and die
themselves with a formal Service to their Earthly Prince either out of a guilty Fear because He beareth not the Sword in vain or else out of flattery and design to manage their Game of worldly Interest to the best and advance themselves in Wealth and Honour Or Thirdly and Lastly The Antithesis must infer and so indeed it doth that these Changers are such as truly Fear neither God nor the King for that the One doth ever suppose and imply the Other He cannot be a Loyal Subject to the Crown of Heaven who proves a Traytor or Rebel upon Earth 1 St. John 4.20 If any Man love not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen It is impossible in St. John's Logick And so I argue a Fortiori He that knows not to reverence the Image of God in his Soveraign let him make what plausible shews of Piety he will he is no real Servant of God he cannot heartily Love that invisible Being of Power and Majesty Justice and Mercy which Kings of all other Men do most lively represent Again Men cannot fear the King as they ought and not God because the very Reason of that Duty they owe Him is That He is the Minister and Lieutenant of the Living God 1 St. Pet. 2.14 ordained by Him for the Punishment of evil doers and Praise of them that do well and Authorized under the broad Seal of Heaven to see the Divine Will observed in all things here on Earth Thus we see Who and What these Changers are And shall now 2. Enquire into the Force of the Caution whereby we are warned not to Meddle with such as these That Solomon should hereby intend a check for Princes or hinder the due execution of Justice and processe of Lawes against Rebellion were a gloss fit for none but Rebells to make who are wont to wrest all Scriptures to their own Perdition The Grand-Inquest may present the Magistrate may punish the Law may and ought to take hold of and medle with these Changers in that sence 2 St. Pet. 3.16 as we shall shew in due time Mean-while his plain undoubted meaning is in short this when any of your fellow-subjects study or practise Sedition or go about to remove the ancient Land-mark in Church or State bid them not God-speed herd not with them avoid their company at your Peril do not abett or assist them be not of their Accursed Councills have no hand in their unhallowed Covenants no finger in their sacrilegious Associations though their pretences be never so popular as the vindication of their Religion the defence of their Christian or Civil Liberty O my Soul come not thou into their secret Caballs Gen. 49.6 medle not have nothing to do with these men from such withdraw thy self According to which genuine sence of the words I now proceed 2. To my main Design to urge and apply his pious Counsel with respect to both its Objects signified in the Text and that 1. in general and at large And then 2. VVith reference to this special occasion First then to invert the order of the Text for methods sake medle not with them that are given to change their KING the Civil Government and fundamental Laws and Constitutions of a Kingdome We don't deny sayes a late Learned Prelate of our Church whose Sence I choose to speak in this weighty Point We don't deny Bishp Saunderson de obligat Consc but they who are endued with sufficient Power may Change a form of Government sometime for the better as that of a Common-wealth into a Monarchy or any other kind into an Hereditary Monarchy held to be the best by all sober Men as most resembling that whereby God himself Governs the World But then saith he no Power on Earth is sufficient to Change an Hereditary Monarchy into any other form both because it were for the worse and an apparent Injury to all the Heirs and lawful Successors besides for whatever Plea may be made or quirks used for cutting off Entailes amongst Subjects yet no Laws of Men can justly dis-inherit Princes or Exclude Heirs to a Crown because they hold immediately from GOD Rom. 13.1 As for particular established Laws it is a received Maxime in Politicks that they are not to be altered without very great and evident Necessity whereof the Philosopher gives these brief Aristot Polit. lib. 2. cap. 8. but acute Reasons Because First Frequent and unnecessary Changes weaken the Hands of Sovereignty Both Laws and Law-givers would be thereby chargeable with Levity and so lose much of that respect and reverence the Subject owes them Secondly The People will be craving and petulant in asking a Change of Laws where they find a Law-giver too facile and free in complying with their Humour and carving away his own Prerogative Give them an Inch they 'l roundly take an Ell If they can get the Royal Assent to pluck one Corner-stone out of the Fabrick to repeal one main Foundation-Act or Statute then Have at All. 3. It is much better to wink at small faults in old approved Lawes nay to tolerate inconveniences of greater moment sometimes than to turn all topsie turvie for their Reformation the Remedy in such cases being often worse and more dangerous than the Disease All this while there is no question but particular Lawes may and ought to be changed by those that sit at the Helm when the necessity of the publick Good requires it their ancient Reasons being now quite ceased and the times and mens manners requiring different perhaps contrary Constitutions whereof we meet with daily Instances But to come up closer to the mind of my Text Subjects may not attempt a Change of Lawes without the consent of their Lawful Prince which they are to ask with all due Reverence and Submission not by popular Murmurs and Clamours not by Tumultuous Petitions which at the best are but humble Affronts to Majesty much less by resisting Rom. 13.2 and taking up Armes against Him It was well provided by the Locrians of old against all daring Innovators That whosoever propounded any new Law in Parliament should present himself at the same time with a Rope about his Neck that in case his Law was found destrustive of the publick good or tending to dissolve or undermine the Government he might be rewarded out of hand for his Invention We had no such Law to curb or restrain them else those bold Reformers of ours had not dared to confront the Majesty and abuse the Mercy of the most pious Prince that ever swayed this Imperial Scepter K. Charles I. To subvert and unhinge both the Magistracy and Ministery the two Poles and Pillars of the Kingdome To start New Governments Cancel old Lawes and fall foul upon Magna Charta it self by straining the Liberty of the Subject so high as to leave their good King neither Prerogative Power Property no nor Life The accursed Spawn of